In Shayla Lawsons second collection, she spins her unique brand of soulful lyrics

Each poem of I Think I’m Ready to See Frank Ocean riffs on a Frank Ocean song, paying homage to the man but also investigating oceans, The Ocean, and the similarity between heartbreak and break beats by blending Frank Ocean’s musical catalog with personal narrative and social critique. I Think I’m Ready to See Frank Ocean builds upon historicized representations of Ocean’s career in ekphrasis, carefully examining the intent of each composition as a metaphoric parallel to Black American legibility.

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“I cannot pin this book down. I cannot easily categorize or articulate what this book is doing, or what it means. I cannot get to the bottom of the brilliance behind it, or the brilliance that brilliance makes. Sound familiar? Sound like the Ocean? Are you ready?”—Ross Gay

SHAYLA LAWSON is the author of A Speed Education in Human Being and the chapbook PANTONE. She grew up in the bluegrass state and has always carried a fondness for oceans. Her work has appeared in print and online at Tin House,GRAMMA, ESPN, Salon, The Offing, Guernica, Colorado Review, Barrelhouse, & MiPOesias.